Excess carbon is making freshwater lakes more acidic — at triple the rate of oceans
A new study by Ruhr University aquatic biologists shows that freshwater acidification may be catching up -- and even surpassing -- ocean acidification in a race that may harm essential parts of the food chain -- like water fleas --…
2,000 generations of algae foretell future of ocean acidification
Plankton can adapt to the primary cause of ocean acidification -- rising carbon dioxide in water -- but the organisms eventually lose their form of a skeleton. As a result, the plankton cannot fend off predators or competitors, and on…
As Pacific acidifies, ‘sea butterflies’ are quickly losing their shells
Scientists have known for some time that shells of the tiniest sea life have been dissolving due to an increasingly polluted ocean. Pteropods, ocean-dwelling snails roughly the size of a thumbnail, have been dubbed by some the "…
Coral Reefs and Shellfish Battle Acidifying Oceans
The world's ocean are absorbing carbon dioxide at an unprecedented rate and the resulting acidification is already altering marine ecosystems. We look at how ocean acidification is affecting shellfish and coral reefs.
Scientists call ocean acidification "the other carbon problem." When the ocean absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, it raises the pH of the water making it acidic. That shift makes sea animals' shell brittle, which makes a huge difference to…
video interview with b-roll, NewsHour…
For more on this story go to http://www.pbs.org/newshour/topic/climate-change/…
Nearly a third of the world's coral reef species face extinction, threatening entire ocean ecosystems.
Additional Support Provided By:
